Improvement in lithographic printing-forms



I. REYNOLDS.

Lithographic Printing-Forms. No. 144,796. Patented N0v.18, 1 873.

W'z'hz mam,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

IRA REYNOLDS, OF DAYTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO REYNOLDS & REYNOLDS,

OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN LITHOGRAPHIC PRINTING-FORMS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 144,796, dated November18, 1873; application filed March 21, 1873.

To all whom z't-may concern:

Be it known that I, IRA REYNOLDS, of Dayton, in the State of Ohio, haveinvented certain Improvements in the art of Printing from LithographicStones, of which the following is a specification:

It is the object of my invention very greatly to reduce labor and savetime, and also so to reduce the cost of lithographic printing that, inan office where large amounts of work are done, a small job of fivehundred sheets may be printed at as cheap a rate as ten or twenty timesthat number.

To practice my invention I employ a number of stones, made of equalthickness, and either all of the same length and breadth, or with one ormore of the set, if desired, of double or quadruple (in area) of theothers, in order that they may be assembled together within a chase orframe, and securely held there during the operation of taking thelithographic impressions therefrom. The means for holding them may be inanyeonvenient way, or in the manner of holding type in place in theirframes, wedges or quoins, w, being shown for this purpose in thedrawing. This assemblage of stones, each being first prepared withimpression which is to be transferred from it to the paper, is now readyfor use, the whole form being composed of sections or blocks.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 illustrates the bed of a press,having thereon a chase in which is a form made up of an assemblage oflithographic stones, each stone being designed and adapted for printingsomethingsay a bill-head, letter-head, ornamental design, picture,&c.-entirely different from that on each or any of the other stones.

Figs. 2 and 3 show, on an enlarged scale, the form in a chase removedfrom the bed of the press; and Fig. 4, a frame suitable for adding tothe thickness of any stone, in order to bring all to the same height,thus avoiding any stone-cutting, sawing, or reducing for such purpose.

In my illustrations I have, for the sake of simplicity, shown only eightlithographic stones in a form, though more or loss may be employed,dependent on the greater or less variety of work to be done, and therelatively thousand circulars for another customer from stone marked D,and also has other orders from other four parties for quantitiesseverally of four, three, two, and one thousand impressions of otherfour bill-heads, 850., from stones marked E F G H, and also other ordersnamed hereinafter. Now, it will be evident, that when the whole form hasbeen put into the press, and one thousand impressions have been struckoff, to fill the order for stone A, the act of printing these has, inthe same time and with the same labor, and with no additional cost,except for ink, also printed one thousand of each of the other sevenorders. Thestones A and H, being now no longer required, are speedilyunlocked from the form and removed, and other reserve stones, I K, fromeach of which three thousand impressions are required, are substitutedfor them, and the printing proceeded with. This I call the first change.The stones in the form will then be as designated in Fig. 2.

It willbe observed that I prefer to substitute forthe removed stonessuch others as need not be removed till the Whole of the work for thehighest required number of impressions shall be finished, the onethousand impressions for the removed stones and the three thousand forthe inserted ones equaling together in number the four thousand requiredfrom stones D and E.

Next I proceed to strike off another thousand impressions from the formthus changed, and this will complete the two thousand required from eachof the stones Band G, and also, at the same time, a thousand copies fromevery other stone. These stones B and G are then removed, and reservestones L M (see Fig. 3) put in their places, and from each of which twothousand impressions arerequired. This I call the second change. Thework proceeds, and another thousand impressions taken from each of theeight stones.

I now remove stones 0 and F, (the required three thousand impressionshaving been struck off from each,) and replace them with other reservestones, not needing to be illustrated, but which may be called N and 0,from each of which only one thousand impressions are required. This Icall the third and last change; and it will be seen, also, that at thisstage just one thousand impressions, and no more, are required from eachof the other stones in the form.

Vhen such thousand impressions are next given, the whole work is done,and with the expenditure of butlittle time, cost, orlabor beyond whatwould have been necessary to print only the four thousand circulars fromstone D; while the result shows the printing of fourteen different jobsfrom fourteen customers, amounting in all to thirty-two thousandimpressions, and all with only three changes of the form.

For larger orders, say for fifty to one hundred thousand impressions,the stone for them would remain a long time in the chase, while changeswould be made only for orders of lesser amount.

While I have illustrated with eight section stones or blocks in a form,and for six reserve stones, it will be readily seen that I am notlimited to the number of stones in either case, as they may be varied toany number up to the capacity of the press, to suit circumstances, andthe more or less extensive business carried on in differentprinting-offices.

Some of the stones may be in area double, or treble, or quadruple thesize of the others, if desired; as, for instance, when the design, orimprint, or the sheet of paper to receive the imprint, needs to belarger.

Bymyinvention, also, Ican economize in the cost of the stone, as I canusethose of lesser area, the locking them in forms dispensing with theneed oftheirbein g individuallyso weighty; also, they need not be sothick, as I can increase the thickness of a slab or stone which is lessthan that of the stone of greatest thickness, and so equalize thethickness of all that their tops shall be in the same plane, by means ofthe frame shown in Fig. 4. To do this, I place the stone in the framewith its smooth face on a plane or bed, and then, with any suitableplaster or composition, fill up the unfilled part of the cavity of theframe, and leave it until it has hardened and clung to the stone, takingcare to previously oil the frame, that the plaster shall not adhere toit.

By this means all the stones are cheaply equalized in thickness, and nosawing, or stone-cutting, or grinding is necessary on the under face ofthe stone, thus saving much expense, as the plaster brings the whole toshape and surface.

In case the blocks should accidentally vary somewhat in size, it isunimportant, as the deficiencies of any could be made up or supplied byreglets or their equivalents.

My invention is applicable in all cases which would warrant or justifyengraving, and it is designed for all kinds of work which can be done bylithography; and I also avoid by it the transferring or multiplying upona single 1. rger stone the same impression to be printed. Large stonesare also very expensive, much more so than a number of smaller oneswhich would occupy the same area, and smaller ones are more cheaply cutand dressed, and more readily handled. Besides, a form when made ofstones some or all of which have had their thickness artificially increased is much lighter and more easily handled than if made up of solidstones.

Lithographic stones are imported at considerable cost for freight orduties. WVhen made lighter by my process, much expense is saved in theseitems.

To prepare stone for my improvement in lithography,Iemploy the usualmeans for facin gthe stones to a true surface; but for the shaping ofthe sides, I place them upon a horizontal bed, with the face or truedsurface downward; I then make use of saws hung so as to give the desiredwidth at one operation and the desired length at another operation, soas to leave their two sides and ends at right angles with the face ofthe stones. They are then ready for the thicki'lessing-frames abovedescribed; or the stones may be sawed at only one side and one end, andthen placed in sizing-frames, with other saws to give the desired lengthand width.

I claim- A lithographic printing-form consisting of a series of stonesof equal proportionate or multiple size, equalized in thickness, andarranged substantially as described, so that any one or more of thestones may be removed at will, and others substituted therefor.

Witnesses: IRA REYNOLDS.

Guns. R. ABELL, JARVIS MoULnEN.

